Kashmir, India (CU)_ Banjeet Kaur, a 21-year-old college student from Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district is creating news and garnered much attention in the internet grounds for her strong willpower and for shattering gender formulas. Numerous netizens considered her as a source of inspiration and applauded the young woman’s decision to drive an auto-rickshaw to help her father in earning a family income.
After her father lost his job as a school bus driver when schools were closed in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, Banjeet Kaur boldly decided to drive auto-rickshaw to earn an income for the family. As her father could not earn much, she started supporting her father.
Banjeet Kaur explained the reason behind her decision to drive auto-rickshaw. She said, “My father was a school bus driver but he lost his job as the schools remain closed due to COVID-19. He started driving auto-rickshaw but he was not able to earn sufficient. So I stepped in.” she added, “We girls should be ready for every situation”.
Banjeet is a second-year college student and intends to continue her career in defense. She also said that driving an auto-rickshaw was only her part-time work and she will continue with her studies as well. For several people, Banjeet’s initiative became an inspiration and they admired her for her abilities and choices.
Sardar Gorakh Singh, Banjeet’s father, said that girls have the courage to excel in any field depending on their area of interest and their willpower. He said, “After I lost my job during the lockdown, my daughters asked me to teach them to drive auto-rickshaw. I supported them”.
Rachana Sharma, Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO), Udhampur, praised Banjeet Kaur for her initiatives. She said, “Girls like Banjeet Kaur, who is driving auto-rickshaw to support her father, is an example for society. When I was transferred as ARTO at Udhampur, I started a campaign called ‘Girls can drive’ under which several girls were trained to drive.”
